Connecting the Dots: top news stories for Wednesday, February 8, 2012

California Assembly Speaker John Perez will introduce a bill today that reduces the cost of public, four-year university tuition for California students from families that make less than $150,000. The plan would cut the tuition by two thirds, returning it to levels not seen since more than a decade ago. If enacted, the bill will help students from families with incomes too high to receive financial aid, but not high enough to pay for their children's education on their own…

A Concord man is collecting signatures for his drafted initiative to require police to enforce federal immigration laws. Bill Siler, a member of the American Legion, is calling on his legionnaires to help him secure enough signatures to put an initiative on the ballot that mirrors recent immigration legislation in Alabama…

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco has halted deportation proceedings for seven individuals and asked the Obama administration to clarify whether the seven deserve reprieve under new immigration enforcement policy. In June, ICE director John Morton called for a halt on detaining and deporting undocumented or unauthorized immigrants with strong family and community ties and no criminal record. The San Francisco judges have asked for a determination on whether the seven immigrants meet those criteria…

The Oakland City Council opted not to increase police presence at Occupy Oakland demonstrations. This decision, which was announced at a council meeting, could barely be heard over the shouts of Occupy protesters. Some Council members expressed their frustration with the protesters behavior at the meeting.